


Restart

by NiuMiu



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 10:36:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14735376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiuMiu/pseuds/NiuMiu
Summary: He was never meant to be a hero, or find his happiness. Not in the past cycle. But an end means nothing for an old soul, not in this world.This is his chance to retell his own story, and to guide it through a better path.A new story begins from what remained of that doomed past.





	1. A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This will be kind if long but this is a warning beforehand. Although this story has Gilbert and Break tagged as main characters, you won't be seeing, at least Break, as himself. This is a sort of a fix-it that happens in the next cycle, so all the characters that will appear here (except Gilbert and the Baskerville folks) aren't exactly their canon selves.  
> Well, you'll understand soon enough. Hope you, who are reading this, finds it as enjoyable as I enjoyed myself writing it all.

In this world, souls are never lost. They come and go all the time through the centuries. Some remember their past lives, most don’t. Some outlive others, and some wait to see their friends again.

Gilbert was lucky enough to see Oz and Alice again, although living through the years to see them coming back wasn’t so good. Still, since he is here, they all have a chance at having a better life, qone where their future isn’t doomed. Or so he thinks.

There’s only one thing that he can’t get out of his mind after all this time: what about Break? It’s true that little by little, everyone is coming back, but still Gilbert hasn’t heard any word of him.

It was stupid to sit on this thought for so long without taking any action, he admits, but part of his hesitation came from the fact he was still pondering over it. He wasn’t certain if it would be a good thing for Break to come back. Sure, they all now had time to actually have a happy life, but would he have one, with the memories of the past?

Part of him was relieved the man didn’t get to be reborn, part of him thought that whatever waited on the other side was a well deserved rest. But other part of him also wanted Break to be back, to have his own chance at having a better life this time.

Regardless of his indecision, he still had to at least make an effort and search around. When he did so, he realized how stupid he was for delaying the search for so long. It was easy to find Break this time. And when he thinks of it, if the Break he knew didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t.

With these thoughts in mind, Gilbert travelled to a distant and small village. Catching word of Break’s whereabouts was very simple. Even after all this time, people are still wary of the “children of misfortune” and there are only two things that remain unchanged even after centuries pass. The first is the human’s will to blame their misery on something, or someone; the second, is the fact that bad news travel fast.

This village had been suffering from a drought for years. Their crops and livestock almost nonexistent now, making the already low number of villagers dwindle significantly. Even so, this small village still had enough people to send word of their troubles to the outside. And how couldn’t them? After all, without means of surviving in their land, they relied on trade more than anything.

Gilbert didn’t know what he was expecting when his carriage stopped in front of the small decadent cottage. It certainly wasn’t a warm welcome, but he also wasn’t expecting to be yelled at. His encounter with Break’s supposed mother was quick. She smiled at him at first, but as soon as he asked for her son her expression contorted into rage and she yelled that she didn’t know what he was talking about, right before slamming the door on his face.

He sighed, but didn’t let that shake his hopes. He didn’t think he’d have a good shot with his family, after all, being a child of misfortune was not easy. Superstition made people treat them with great disgust, distrust and wrath. It was not his fault to be born, however.

Gilbert stood where he was, thinking how to proceed when he heard the sound of steps around. They were so soft and subtle that if the entire area wasn’t silent, he’d probably never hear it. Still he did hear them, and had no doubt about it. He wasn’t hallucinating.

He walked in the direction the steps came from, only to find a small and almost hidden dirt path behind the cottage. It led to a small shed. Perhaps that was where they kept their tools or anything that didn’t fit in the main house. When he was near it, he realized that the door was already slightly open. It’s no doubt that whoever was walking nearby, either came from here or came here.

Without any hesitation, Gilbert pushed the shed’s door open. He wasn’t quite sure what he would find inside there, but it certainly wasn’t what he found. The boy could be eight years old, or maybe older if it weren’t for the poor state in which he was found. Ragged clothes that were too large for him, messy white hair that had twigs and leaves stuck to it, his cheekbones prominent under his pale, dirty skin, eyes with a feral glint to it. It was a miracle he was even alive.

It was a miracle he still looked very much like the Break that Gilbert knew. With both eyes, but still the same Break. From his hair to his eyes to his blank yet threatening expression. It reminded him of Break, in a different way. He couldn’t help but smile as he approached the kid who eyed him cautiously.

“It’s good to have you back.” He knelt down in front of the kid, and patted his head.

The boy flinched a bit, but didn’t move away, he kept staring.

Gilbert pulled his hand back, removing his hat for a moment and taking a candy from out of it, handing it to the boy, “I’m afraid this is too sudden for you, but I need you to come with me.”

After one second of hesitation, the boy simply nodded and took the candy.

Gilbert didn’t know why, but he felt like it was better to take Break away from there, and quickly, so he sneaked the boy back into the carriage and told the conductor to move back to his estate.

Only when they were in the road and far from the village, the boy decided to speak.

“Are you here to kill me?”

The question surprised Gilbert, but when he looked at the boy, he was merely staring at him, no hint of a joke in his expression. He was serious about it, for some reason.

“Wha— no? Don’t you… remember me?”

The boy shook his head, “Who are you?”

Gilbert was at a loss of words. Either he got the wrong boy, or he really didn’t remember anything at all. Intuition told him that he didn’t find the wrong person, this was in fact, the Break he used to know. How could he not remember?

“I’m—”

How should he answer this? In another life, when confronted with this question, he answered that he was Break’s left eye, but now that he has both eyes and no visible enemies… who is he?

Gilbert stared at the boy, who stared back with a blank expression.

If this kid is Break, and he doesn’t remember anything… isn’t that good? Isn’t it better to live without memories of all the suffering of his past lives? Gilbert felt conflicted over how to answer his question, so he decided to answer it with another question.

“If you don’t know me, then why did you come with me?”

The boy turned to stare ahead of him, putting his elbow on the armrest of his seat and supporting his chin on his palm.

“I have nowhere to go.”

The truth of his statement made a cold feeling settle into Gilbert’s heart.

“Why?”

The boy sighed.

“Since I was born, many bad things happened to the village. Things that no one could explain. But some weeks ago, a foreigner came and told them that these things happened because we angered something, because a child of misfortune was among us. He told them that the child had red eyes, and should they rid of it, the bad things would stop. So they were hunting me.”

_So that’s why he was hiding, after all. But…_

“Why did you not run away?”

“I tried,” The boy started, “But had nowhere to go, and… Maybe it was better if I was dead. Maybe the bad things would really stop. I gave up running.”

Leaning against the carriage’s window, with a lock of hair falling over his left eye and such a hopeless expression on his face, the boy looked far older than he should be. Gilbert stared at him silently.

“You didn’t say who you are.” The boy said.

Gilbert paused and considered his next words carefully, “I’m here to help you.”

“I don’t believe it,” The boy said without missing a heartbeat, “I don’t believe people do things out of the good of their heart. But… I want to believe you, because I have nowhere to go.”

Gilbert reached out to pat his head softly and gave the boy a bittersweet smile. He really didn’t know what would happen now, but he wouldn’t let his old friend down this time.


	2. Candy

Gilbert lived alone in his estate, with a few servants working around. Oz and Alice lived somewhere else, but often came to visit him. It was a bit lonely, but not so bad, he could also visit his friends when he wanted to, even if they didn’t remember everything. Sometimes Gilbert also wished he could forget a few things, but now he really couldn’t afford to do that.

Break came to live with him, somehow adopted by him. It was ironic to think of it like that, since at first Break kind of ‘saved’ Gilbert. He was a big help by then, even if he said he was only using him. What kind of stupid person cares for the ones he uses, anyway? Xerxes Break, apparently.

He made all the preparations he had to accommodate the kid well. Sent servants out to buy clothes, more food, maybe seek out a tutor since he didn’t know how educated this Break was, among other things. The boy accepted every little gift and new item quietly and politely, he seemed to be apathetic most of the time.

For the first week, Gilbert let him be. Break used this time to explore the entire place and surroundings, and to ask questions.

One memorable day was when he finally found his way into the kitchen. Gilbert walked in only to find the boy staring at one of the high shelves. A pot with many kinds of candies was there for all to see.

“Is there something wrong, kid?”

It took the boy a few seconds to turn away from the candy and look at Gilbert, “Is that… candy?”

“Yes, it is.” Gilbert replied, slightly amused at how the boy was drooling.

“Oh.” He answered and then kept staring.

“Do you want it?”

“Yes!” The boy replied without hesitation. One second later he realized what he had said, and then asked more cautiously, “Can I have it?”

Gilbert nodded with a soft smile, “Sure, you can have as many as you want.”

He reached to catch the pot, and then put it in the kid’s hands. He didn’t eat many sweets anyway.

Small Break stared at the pot with glowing eyes, as if trying to believe the candy was real, and then after a long minute he said, “Thank you.”

Gilbert could see a faint smile appearing on his face.  
After that day, the pot of candy became a permanent decoration in the boy’s room. Although the servants had to refill it quite often.


	3. Books

Another time, Gilbert found Break in his modest library. As much as it wasn’t a very impressive room, he stared at the books with such reverence that made Gilbert think that at any moment he’d kneel and thank the books for existing. Okay, that is a bit too much but still, he looked stunned as his eyes ran through the titles of the volumes.

“Found anything you like?” Gilbert asked.

The boy turned away from the books as soon as he heard his voice, a confused expression on his face that soon turned to a sad expression.

“I don’t know.”

“Hm? Do you not know how to read?”

A long moment of silence followed the question.

“I don’t know.”

“Were you never taught how to read…?” Gilbert asked, a bit confused himself. Even if he used to live in a miserable village, someone should’ve—

“I think I was, but I don’t know.” The boy shrugged.

“If you are uncertain, then why don’t you just try reading one?” Gilbert suggested.

Small Break lowered his head and gave a weak shrug, “I’m afraid.”

“... Of the books?”

“Of not being able to, after all.”

Gilbert stayed silent. Seeing it from one point, the frustration of thinking you can do something and turning out not being able after all is devastating, but from another point…

“If you don’t give it a try, you’ll never know.” He walked to the boy and knelt in front of him, raising one hand to pat his hair softly, “In any case, I can hire a tutor for you if you aren’t able to read yet.”

Break didn’t raise his gaze, instead asking in almost a whisper, “Why do you keep patting me like that?”

_Oh._

Gilbert pulled his hand back immediately and stared at it.

“I think… it was a habit I picked up. From— from an old friend.” Said friend was standing right in front of him, even if he didn’t know that.

The boy hummed in response, and when he finally raised his head, he avoided Gilbert’s eyes quickly, staring at the books instead.

“Can you make out their titles?” Gilbert asked.

After a moment, Break nodded.

“Then you can read. Maybe you don’t know all the words, but if you keep reading you’ll remember them quickly.” He patted Break again, out of habit and then quickly stood up before the boy could question him about his habit again.


	4. Promises

One day Gilbert found Break sitting by a tree, a book on his lap. It was amazing how quickly the boy had picked up the habit of reading. He was always with a book, sometimes Gilbert even had to ask him to drop it during meals. It wasn’t very problematic, but… maybe if he read too much, he would remember.

Now, who was Gilbert trying to fool? Break was much better not remembering what he did in his past lives. For this reason, he was afraid. Afraid that one day the boy would remember, and then he’d never be the same. As much as this kid was sometimes a brat, he was a good kid. 

“You’re a creepy guy.” Break raised his eyes from the book to stare at Gilbert. “Are you going to stand there for too long? Did no one tell you that staring is impolite?”

Gilbert sighed, “Did no one tell you that’s impolite to talk back to older people?”

“You were the one to start it.” Break replied frowning.  
They weren’t going anywhere with this argument, but somehow this gave Gilbert a nostalgic feeling.

“Okay, I apologize for that.” Gilbert finally conceded, raising his hands in defeat.

And just when he was about to turn his back and walk away, Break said, “You never asked my name.”

That made Gilbert freeze on his spot.

“You also never asked my age, or anything of the kind.” Break continued.

Gilbert stayed still where he was, staring at the boy, who just stared back at him. These weren’t questions, just statements. He should’ve remembered to do those things, for Break, Gilbert was a complete stranger, even with good intentions.

“I want a honest answer, Gilbert. Who am I?”

As if trying to gain time to find the right way to reply to the question, Gilbert said, “I never told you my name.”

“The servants call you ‘Master Gilbert’ all the time.” The boy simply replied.

Ah, that makes sense. Still, how should he answer this question? He could say the truth now and be done with it. He could just tell the entire story, the one Break told him in the past. He could tell him of how he died in his past life. He could tell the boy about how they were almost partners, but then… Would that be the right thing to do?

Obliviousness is a blessing to someone like Break, no doubt.

“Hm.”

Break made no move, still sitting in the same place, hands resting on the open book as he stared at Gilbert.  
“In your past life, you were my friend.” Gilbert answered as honestly as he could. 

The boy lowered his gaze to the book again, staying silent for long minutes.

“Is that the truth? Why do I feel like I didn’t have many friends, in my past life?” He asked.

“You were well loved in your past life, and you may not have been the most pleasant person to be around but… all of us who stayed by your side, did so willingly.”

“I don’t believe you.” Break replied, gaze fixed on his hands, “I don’t believe people can do such things out of the good of their heart.”

“Kid…”

“But I want to believe you, because I have nothing else left.” He continued almost in a whisper.

Gilbert sighed and walked over to sit on the grass, right besides the boy. Break made no movement, not even to get away from him.

“I promise that as long as I live, you’ll have a place to come back to,” Gilbert said, patting the boy’s hair, “And you’ll have me.”

A long moment of silence passed, until Break finally took in a deep breath.

“My name is Kevin, I am twelve years old. When I was younger, I used to see you and other people I did not recognize in my nightmares, but since I came here, I don’t have them anymore. I don’t believe people can do things out of the good of their hearts, because I’ve never seen it happen, but I believe you.”

Ah, Kevin Legnard. That was Break’s old name, before his playful persona took over and he had to take in a new one. Maybe this was a new start for the man he used to know, and if so, he hoped he could have a better life than before.

“It’s good to have you here, Kevin.”


	5. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just an useless bonus I have written for giggles. Enjoy it!

One day, after sometime, Oz and Alice finally went to visit Gilbert. The man was more than glad to have them in his house, but the same couldn’t be said of Kevin.

“Oh, so this is him? He looks so cute!” Oz would say and repeatedly poke Kevin’s cheeks.

“His hair looks like cotton candy.” Alice would comment already drooling.

Kevin tried his best to remain cool through all of the abuse, but as soon as Oz and Alice went out he could breathe easy once again.

“Kids are disgusting.” He commented, throwing a resentful look at the front door.

“You are a kid.” Gilbert replied absently.

That moment, he swore he’d never seen Kevin look so offended in any of his lives.


	6. Swords

“A swordsman.” Kevin declared one day.

Gilbert, who had just been passing by the library, was startled by how suddenly the boy had said that as soon as he entered it, without even addressing him first.

“What?” He was stunned for the first seconds.

“I was a swordsman, wasn’t I?” Kevin asked, this time a playful smile on his lips and a glint in his eye that bordered dangerously on the one Break had whenever he was on a mischievous mood.

“Uh… yeah? You remembered that?"

“Mhm! I was reading this book and had the realization.”

“Ah,” So he was still slowly remembering everything, “That’s good then.”

Gilbert hoped it was.

“Sooooooo… you know what you have to do now, no?” Kevin questioned, a wide grin on his face.

Gilbert didn’t like where this was going.

“I have no idea. What do you want, brat?”

“Tsk, what was I expecting anyway…” Kevin commented to himself, “A sword, of course! I need one to be a swordsman!”

“What— No! Absolutely not!” Gilbert shook his head at the boy.

What kind of adult would put a blade on the hands of a child?

. . .

“What kind of adult gives a sword to a child?” The governess asked Gilbert as she eyed Kevin from afar. The boy played happily with his new, old sword. It was a weapon for show in Gilbert’s estate, mostly decoration, but still a usable sword.

“He… was too persuasive…” Gilbert tried to defend himself as he held one sword too.

The governess gave him a judging look, but said nothing else.

All those years have passed and Break still managed to give him a hard time. Even if he’s just a child now.

“Hey, Gilbert! Come over here, let’s practice!” Kevin called cheerfully from the other side of the garden.

The governess glared at Gilbert.

“I told you I would give you the sword, but said nothing about a practice match!” Gilbert yelled back.

Kevin walked his way over to him, still grinning wide, “You promised you’d help me remember my old sword techniques, right? And just now I remembered them!”

“If you remembered them, then we don’t need to do anything.”

“That would be true but…” Kevin lowered his gaze, “I have to make sure I really remember it.”

Even though the boy wasn’t smiling or grinning as before, and even though he was trying to look as serious as possible, Gilbert still saw how the corners of his lips were pulling up just a bit.

With a heavy sigh and a curt nod, he dismissed the governess.

“Look, I’d rather not do this. I could hurt you, even in a practice match. These swords aren’t toys, kid. They can do serious damage.” Gilbert explained.

Kevin stared at him for a few seconds, then wasn’t able to hold back his grin once more, “You assume you will even reach me.” He taunted.

_He’s just a boy,_ Gilbert reminded himself.

“Maybe you are just tired, being old and all.” Kevin continued.

_He’s just a kid_ , Gilbert tried to remind himself once more, but his eyebrow started twitching.

“Must not be easy with only one arm.”

_Okay, that’s it_.

“You’re on, kid.” Gilbert stated as he raised his sword.

Kevin just grinned and assumed a battle position.

It shouldn’t be that hard to defeat a twelve years old child, right? Except that child was no one other than Xerxes Break reincarnation, a kid who still remembered all his techniques. Gilbert had no chance.

In his defense, he was never good with a sword. He has seen swordsmen in action before, many times, just never had any aptitude for it. He was still good only with guns.

Through the entire match, he could do nothing but try to block out every merciless hit that Kevin delivered, every slash and swing of the sword. The kid could be small, but he didn’t hold back at all. He left Gilbert stunned and confused, on the defensive all the time, until he used his final technique.

With a spin of his blade, Kevin sent Gilbert’s sword flying, and seeing as the man was unarmed, he innocently pointed the blade towards his chest.

“Surrender or die, old man.” He declared with a wide grin.

“Ugh, fine!” Gilbert raised his hand in defeat. “I was never good with a sword anyway. Are you happy now?”

Kevin nodded, putting away his sword, “Yeah! I know who I am now. I’m a swordsman!” He said proudly.

“Not like that’s anything great, swordsmen barely have anything to do in these times of peace.” Gilbert commented.

“That’s not a problem,” Kevin shook his head, “I just need to protect you then.”

And for a moment, Gilbert was just out of words.

“... What?”

“You are old and weak, if you outlived my past life, then someone needs to protect you. I know it’s not going to be easy, you aren’t just slow, you are also not very smart.”

“Huh…” Gilbert gritted his teeth but for some reason couldn’t muster up any anger towards the boy.

One memory came to mind.

_A loyalty that holds fast will become a blade, and will pierce someday those you hold dear._

“Huh? Gilbert, what you just said…”

_Shit_.

“Ah, did you hear that?” How stupid of him to say it aloud.

Kevin nodded, with a serious and thoughtful expression.

“What about it?” Gilbert asked, a bit afraid he had said too much.

“Uhm… you didn’t come up with it, did you? That sounds too smart for someone like you…” Kevin replied, still thoughtful.

“Eh?! Wh— what did you just say?!”

“You aren’t very bright.”

The worst thing about Kevin, was that he could say that kind of thing with a straight face.

“Tsk, I won’t give in to your taunt. Somebody has to be the bigger person here.”

Kevin narrowed his eyes at Gilbert, “What are you trying to say?”

“Nothing you should be concerned with, bean sprout.” Gilbert chuckled.

“Haa? I’m not— a plant…”

“Whatever you say, bean sprout.”

The frown on Kevin’s face only deepened as he said, “Just you watch, in a few years I might be taller than you!”

“Just don’t be surprised when in a few years, you are still a few centimeters shorter than me.” Gilbert snorted.

Kevin raised his sword in a challenge, but just as he did so, a maid came in to say the afternoon tea had been prepared. Under the excuse that he never missed an afternoon tea, Kevin decided to let it go. Only time would tell whether or not he’d grow to be taller than in his past life.

Meanwhile, Gilbert took notes of how the insult still got under his skin. Typical, really.


	7. Little Lady

“Are you a nobleman or something, Gilbert?”

In the middle of the ball, Kevin’s voice was barely audible. There were too many conversations going around, and he was even hushing his voice as best as he could. Still, Gilbert could understand his question.

“No, just a small landlord.” He replied to the boy, “The other nobles love these festivities. I don’t care about them but maybe going out would be fun for you.”

Kevin nodded as he looked around, “I don’t know what’s going on, how is this fun?”

The simple way he said that made gilbert laugh.

“That’s something both of us are yet to discover.” He replied, raising his glass of wine.

From their corner they could see and hear everything around. Even after all this time, the nobility never changed. Bureaucrats, landlords, nobles, all stayed the same. These parties were more of a game than anything, and this game wasn’t of interest for Gilbert.

He had already plenty to do in his hands— well, hand. What he really was hoping for here, was to find someone that they might have known in the past.

“Gi— Gil— Gilbert—” Kevin whispered, repeatedly tugging on Gilbert’s sleeve.

“Hm?” He looked down at the boy. It seemed he was distressed, but about what?

“Sh— She— Sharon—!” His eyes were wide as he tried to hide behind Gilbert and subtly point at one direction.

Gilbert followed his stare, only to spot a very familiar little girl.

_Ah, that_.

“Yeah? It’s her. Do you remember her?”

Kevin nodded quickly.

“Then? We could go speak with her.”

“No!” Kevin whispered and shrinked behind Gilbert, “No no no no no no! If she sees me, she’ll kill me!”

“Why would she do that—”

“She’s scary!” Kevin continued.

Gilbert stared at the twelve years old boy, who was frightened by a seven years old girl. He then stared back at said girl, gracefully holding her fan at the other side of the ballroom, an innocent and kind smile on her lips.

“Alright, we can take our leave if that’s what you want.” He said and Kevin nodded quickly, holding his hand as Gilbert guided him to one of the exits of the room.

Only when they were on the deserted corridor outside, Kevin started breathing easier.

“Okay, we managed to get out.” He said with a relieved sigh.

Sadly, Kevin had spoken too soon.

“Did you think I wouldn’t see your ridiculous white hair from the other side of the ballroom?!” A childish voice yelled from the other side of the corridor.

“Oh no.” Kevin froze on the spot.

A tiny, cute and angry Sharon walked on their way, and from her expression Gilbert just knew that Kevin was very dead.

“You come back and don’t even tell me?” She asked Kevin, “and you!” She pointed her fan at Gilbert, “You didn’t even send word to me that you had found him!”

“I heard you were out on a trip.” Gilbert raised his hand defensively, “And I tried to send word, but couldn’t get to you.”

“Hmph! Still!” She held the fan firmly in both hands as she stared Kevin up and down, then finally…

“This is for leaving me in the first place!” She hit him in the head with the fan, “This is for dying!” She hit him again, “This is for not coming to find me when you were back!” Another hit, “This is for trying to flee from me!” She hit him one last time, then suddenly, she let her fan fall and looped her arms tightly around Kevin.

“And this is for finally coming back to us.” She said in a broken voice, barely containing her tears. “I thought I wouldn’t see you again, big brother.”

“Ah…” Kevin replied, not really knowing what to do or say in this moment, and still stunned from the little girl’s attack. “There-there.” He said, softly patting her hair as he stared at Gilbert, as if asking for help.

Gilbert just shrugged at him.

“I… uhm… Sorry for that.”

Sharon finally let go of him and pulled back, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands.

“We thought we wouldn’t see you again, after all that happened, brother. You lost so many things… I missed you so much…”

“I— I’m glad you are here.” Kevin answered honestly. He knew who she was, but didn’t quite remember everything about her still. Something in his heart said that she was important.

“Tsk, you are an awful good-for-nothing brother, but I’m so happy to see you,” She smiled between her tears, “I need to tell you so many things and—”

“Miss Sharon?” A voice called from the other side of the corridor, the one from where Sharon came.

She sniffed and closed her mouth, giving both of them a serious look, “I think I must leave that for another day.”

Gilbert nodded, “You should go back to the party, we’ll be taking our leave now.”

“I see, then… Don’t even try to run from me again, do you understand?” She said to Kevin, “Or else you’ll take a worse beating.”

“Uh… Uhm… I better go call our carriage now, bye!” Kevin walked away quickly. Gilbert noticed he was sweating cold.

“He never changes.” Sharon clicked her tongue, “At least he’s cuter now that he’s small…”

“You also didn’t change much.” Gilbert commented.

“Ah, being young again does me good.” She replied with a small smile, “He doesn’t have any idea of what happened, does he?”

“He doesn’t remember most of it.”

Sharon hummed and gazed at the direction where Kevin went thoughtfully.

“And you haven’t told him any of it too.”

“Mhm.”

“I see…”

Both stayed silent for a long minute, till the voice called Sharon once again.

“I should be going now, but I’ll be visiting both of you soon.”

“I’ll make the preparations for that day then. It’s always a delight to have you for a visit, Sharon.”

“Oh, don’t try to be smooth now. You’re older but you’re the same crybaby we knew in the past,” She giggled.

Gilbert’s eyebrow twitched at that.They would never forget that, would they?

“And Gilbert.”

“Hm?”

“If he manages to run from me again, you’re the one who’s going to take the beating for him.” Sharon said winking at him.

Somehow, Gilbert was the one who excused himself fast now. He didn’t need her to notice he was sweating cold.


	8. Whirlwind

Another week passes and Kevin is bored. The books provide him great entertainment, but sometimes he just… wants something else to do. Oh well. He doesn't miss running around a forest barefoot, starving and fleeing for his life, no. But maybe reading isn't all that there is to do. Still, he has no idea what else he can do for now so he's heading to the library once again.

Until he's stopped by Gilbert, who smiles at him.

“Hey, finally found you.”

“Do you need something?”

“Someone came here to see you.”

This is strange. Kevin doesn't remember having friends, no one other than Gilbert and the servants in the estate, so who in hell would—

“Kevin! There you are!” A childish girly voice shrieked in delight from behind Gilbert.

Before he could realize what was happening, he was being tackled in a hug.

“Wha—”

“Play with me! I came all the way here to see you so you have to!”

It took him another whole second to recognize the little girl attacking him.

“… Sharon?”

“Are you bliiiind?” She dragged out the last word, “who else would visit you? Now play with me!”

“Uhm—”

“You two are already getting along well, great. I'll see to my duties so behave and if anything happens call a servant.” Gilbert excused himself.

“Wait—Wait!” Kevin quickly managed to free himself from Sharon's hands and gripped Gilbert's sleeve, “I don't know what I am supposed to do here.”

Before Gilbert could say anything, however, Sharon cut him, “Don't worry and just listen to me! We will play!”

“It's just as she says,” Gilbert patted him quickly, “Don't worry about it and have fun, okay?”

It all happened so fast that Kevin had no other choice than nod and believe in Gilbert. It shouldn't be too hard to play with a little kid, right?

He didn't know what he was getting into.  
Playing with Sharon meant listening and obeying the many tasks she gave him, the first one being having to carry her around on his back. It was a good thing that she was light, but she laced her arms around his neck so tight that now and then she almost choked him. It was fun running around, mostly for Sharon. Kevin didn't think it was that fun being choked.

The second task she gave him was to fetch her many flowers, and then after he got these flowers, they sat by the garden under a tree. Sharon was busy threading all the flowers together, humming a song while Kevin watched with great curiosity.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Shhhh, just wait and see!” She giggled, quite mischievously.

Kevin frowned at that but waited nevertheless. It was better sitting here watching her rather than running around with her on his back, right?

When he least expected, she was done with her task and the bunch of flowers was quickly put on his head.

“Ah—!” He gasped in surprise and was about to remove the flowers when Sharon held his wrists.

“Hey, don't do that!”

“What is this?”

“A flower crown. A reward for playing with me earlier!” She smiled brightly.

_Oh_.

She released his wrists and he absently touched the petals. Maybe not all kids were that insufferable.

“Thank you."

“Oh, don't mention it. Doing these little things makes me happy!” She giggled again and Kevin smiled for a moment.

“Lunch is ready!” A servant yelled from a window and both kids looked at the woman.

They hastily patted the dust and grass off their clothes before heading to the house.  
Kevin was sad to have to remove his flower crown to eat.

“The leaves will fall into the food!” A maid warned him right before saying she'd keep the flowers safe till he finished eating.Reassured that his little gift would be okay, Kevin decided to give the flowers to her.

Lunch with Sharon was interesting for him. Gilbert said he'd hire a tutor for him, but still hadn't done so, so he told Kevin that there wasn't any problem if he didn't know manners and all. Watching Sharon act so gracefully during the meal had made him feel so rude all of a sudden, but she didn't seem to mind his lack of manners nor make fun of it. Now that he thinks about it, nobody did since he came to Gilbert's estate. Still he shouldn't let that go, and made a mental note to ask Gilbert for a tutor. He'd hate to act improperly around these people that were so nice to him.

After lunch was done, Kevin waited for Sharon's next task.

“What do you want to do?” She asked.

“Uh…” His mind went blank, “What would you like to do?”

She huffed, “Aw, I asked you first! What do you do around here, usually?”

“I read.” Kevin replied without giving it much thought.

“Okay! Then read me a story!” She decided.

He was still unsure about it, but since she asked him, he'd do it. He led her to the library while the servants took out the table, reminding himself to get his flower crown after the visit to the library.

Arriving at the estate's library, Kevin made a small pause at the door. He'd never cease to be amazed at how many different books were stored there. Surely there were many amazing writers in the world, and he could always learn something new among all the read pages.

Sharon sat by the table that was in a corner and said, “Okay! Choose one and read for me.”

Kevin stared, “Which one?”

“Anything that you choose will be fine.”

Kevin kept staring, “Anything? What if I choose one that you don't like?”

Sharon rolled her eyes, “Just choose one and read for me, it's not that hard.”

Easy for her to say that. Kevin never knew which book he'd read or even reread, since he liked many. After a while of thinking, he settled for a collection of small stories. It should be a quick and enjoyable read for both.

Sharon sat quietly in her chair and watched Kevin expectantly.

“Can I?” He asked.

She nodded quickly.

“Oh, okay.” He cleared his throat and started reading one of the small stories.

Sharon stayed quietly listening from beginning to end, paying close attention to what was being read.

It was an enjoyable moment for both. Kevin didn't know but Sharon loved to hear others tell stories, being their own stories or just a book they're reading. Kevin also rarely had the chance to read aloud. The first person he read to was Gilbert, and he still was unsure about his reading skills but as he went on, he felt more relaxed.

Once the story was over, he closed the book briefly and smiled to himself.

“It was a nice story, no?”

“It was. Why did you choose it?” Sharon asked.

Kevin had thought about that.

“I hope you don't mind listening to my reasons.” He said.

Her eyes glowed with excitement, “Tell me why!”

He thought her excitement was kind of cute.

“Well… first you need to know that the plot and the setting of this story could very well have happened in this world…” He started.

And so, for about half an hour he went into great detail about why he liked this story in specific. Going through the characters and their motivations, the plot and the setting, and everything else he thought was worth of notice.

“… And that's all I think about this story. The author did quite a good job so I wanted to share it with you the most.” He concluded.

When he stared at Sharon again, she was asleep, her arms crossed on the table and head resting atop them.

“Oh…”

For many minutes, Kevin watched as she snored softly in her sleep. He wondered if she listened to him at all. Also, he wondered what he should do now. Should he read a book or…

  
_Hm…_

As the seconds went by, he grew restless and couldn't sit idle anymore. He decided to call Gilbert and say what had happened.

The moment he put the book down on the table, Sharon snapped awake.

“What—what?” She looked around quickly.

“Ah, you're awake.”

“You weren't about to leave me, were you?”

“I was going to—” He started.

“No, no! You have to stay with me or I'll get lost in this estate!” She explained.

“But you were ordering me around the whole day, I thought you knew the place.” He tried to reason.

“You're not very sharp,” She sighed, “Old people are all like that.” She added more to herself than to anybody else.

Kevin felt a bit offended. He wasn't that old, was he?

“Okay! I'm thirsty and want tea so get me tea! It must be freshly brewed and warm, but not enough to burn my tongue.” She ordered.

“Should I leave you alone here…?”

“Just gooooooo!” She insisted impatiently, “If you don't do it right I'll hate you forever!”

The words got stuck in his mind. She would hate him for something as silly as tea? It sounded stupid but as much as he wanted to retort, he was afraid she'd be mad at him if he said anything, so he just nodded, got up and headed to the door.

“Kids rarely mean what they say. Especially things like that.”

The words came to him as soon as he closed the library's door behind himself. Kevin turned his head to see Gilbert leaning on the wall besides the door, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

“Were you spying on us?”

“Hardly, I was just passing by and decided to check on you two. How are you doing?”

_Ah, so that was it._

“I was about to get tea, but if you want to know, I don't know how to feel about this. I don't know her at all.” He didn't plan to sound so upset, but somehow it came out that way.

“I thought you had remembered who she was.” Gilbert said confused.

Kevin shook his head, “I… have a vague idea I know her,” He explained, “But it's not her. I don't know her. It doesn't make sense.”

Gilbert sighed, “I should've thought about that…” he muttered.

“Her birth name is Maria, not Sharon.” Gilbert said, which took Kevin by surprise.

“Then why—”

“A year ago, she started recovering bits and pieces of her memories from her past life. Since then she urged her family to call her Sharon, she reasoned it was prettier for a lady like her.” He chuckled.

“Huh…”

“As far as I know, she doesn't remember much. Mostly her childhood, some other trivial things and…” He paused, “The death of the person she used to see as her bigger brother.”

Kevin thought about his words for a moment.

“You are saying that… she…?”

“She still feels sad about it, even though she doesn't know exactly why. It must be as strange to her as it is to you. She also doesn't know you.”

“Then why did she come here? I'm not her brother.”

“She's trying to figure out who you are, and what she feels about it.” Gilbert explained, “When I first brought you here, I had to do the same.”

They both stayed silent.

Kevin didn't know how he felt about that still. He wasn't that person, but still because he had been someone else in the past, he got all these nice things now. Just when he had lost hope for a good life, when he had given up, Gilbert came for him. But it wasn't for him, it was for someone else who was dead and long gone. So, did he really deserve all of that? Did he really deserve Sharon's efforts or Gilbert's loyalty?

“Gilbert… Who am I?” He asked.

Gilbert stayed silent for a minute, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“You are Kevin,” He finally said, “You don't have much hope for life but you are happy here, and that makes me happy. That man of the past, my old friend… You're not him, not at all, but I think he would be proud of who you are now.”

“Does it matter when he's dead?” Kevin asked rather annoyed.

Gilbert shook his head, “I guess not.”

“Then let go. I don't know your friend but I'm not him, nor Sharon's brother and you both know that.”

“You are right,” A childish voice replied from behind him. Without them knowing, Sharon had been listening to the whole conversation while standing by the door. They were so absorbed in it that they didn't notice her there.

“Sharon—”

“We both aren't those people of the past, and it is quite confusing to have all these happy and sad memories.” She started, “But I felt like if I tried to make new memories with who you are now, as the person I am now… then it wouldn't be so confusing anymore.” She smiled shyly. “Was it a bad idea…?”

“I—I didn't mean to offend you, I'm sorry.” Kevin apologized quickly but Sharon only shook her head.

“It's not like you are wrong.” She giggled, “Don't be so quick to backtrack, Gilbert said you wanted to be a knight, and knights in stories always stand by what they believe.”

Kevin stayed silent.

“I apologize for all the commotion, lady Sharon.” It was Gilbert's turn to apologize.

“Hush now!” She replied impatiently, “You two! I don't want apologies. We don't know who we are or what we are, right Kevin? I say we stick together and figure it out!” She declared proudly.

“Pardon…?” Kevin blinked.

“Yes! You aren't my big brother and I'm not your little sister, but it's fun playing with you! And I want you to read more stories for me, and make more flower crowns for you because you look cute wearing them!”

Her words left Kevin completely stunned.

“Why…?”

“Don't be so hard, why not?” She grinned.

Kevin looked briefly at Gilbert, who just nodded at him. Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to make a new friend, and he enjoyed spending time with her.

“Okay.” He agreed and Sharon's smile only grew brighter.

“Yay! Then let's play more!”

“But what about your te—”

Before he could say anything else, she was dragging him out to play. For the next hours they did play tag and hide and seek. Kevin was pretty good at tag but Sharon was just too good at hiding.

Soon enough, the afternoon was coming to an end.

“You aren't very good at finding things.” Sharon spoke from behind Kevin, who was startled by her appearance.

“Just where on earth did you hide?!”

Sharon grinned and brought an index finger to her lips.

“That's a secret!”

“I thought you didn't know the estate at all…?”

“I know a good hiding place when I see one!”

That still didn't make sense, and she appeared so quickly behind him that he wondered how did she do that.

“I found you now, though.” He said.

“It doesn't count if I reveal myself!”

He smiled, “Doesn't it now?”

She frowned, “Stop cheating!”

“Is it cheating when you're just following the rules?”

She crossed her arms, “Anyway, I have to go back home.”

His smile dropped, “Already?”

She nodded.

“Isn't it still early? We can ask Gilbert for you to stay a while longer…”

She shook her head, “I will come back another day, but I have to go home today.”

“Ah…”

_Pity…_

“Lady Sharon, your carriage is waiting for you!” A servant yelled after them.

They were found pretty fast.

“I told you.” She rolled her eyes.

“Will you really come back?” He asked.

She gave him a soft smile, “I'll keep coming back till we become friends and find out who we are!”

_Well then…_

He nodded, “I'll hold you to that.”

She tackled him in a hug quickly.

“And I will hold you to that too! No running away!”

Why would he even run, he had no idea.

“Okay."

“Lady Sharon?” The servant said approaching them.

She released him and took a step back, “See you another day, Kevin!”

And with a small wave she followed the servant away.

He watched as they walked away with a small sad smile. It was strange to see her go like that, he wanted to play more. However, he really believed she would come back.

Kevin would wait for her next visit impatiently, it was nice to have another friend around with whom he could play. Gilbert was too old for it anyway.


	9. Solving a Mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or as I like to call it "the mystery of the flower crown solved"

“Where is it…” Kevin muttered with himself as he walked through the estate's halls.

Here and there servants wrapped up their tasks quickly, seeing that night would come soon and they were eager to call it a day. Kevin would be calling it a day too, if he didn't have one last issue to solve: where was his flower crown?

Sharon had made it for him, and he thought it was pretty enough so he wanted to keep it. It was the first gift he received from someone who wasn't Gilbert, and he really wanted to keep it safe.

Except he had to give it to one of the maids and now he couldn't find it.

_Where is it?_

He decided that searching for the maid would be reasonable, since she should remember where she put it. By asking other servants along the way, he eventually found out she was dusting the decorations on the corridor that led to the main dining room.

“Excuse me,” he said approaching the woman who absently conducted her chores.

“Oh,” she turned to him with a small smile, “Young master, do you need something?”

Maybe it was too much hoping she'd remember what he gave her to keep earlier. The gift had more value to him than it had to her.

He stopped himself from sighing loudly and replied, “I gave you a flower crown earlier, and you said you would keep it safe. Where is it?”

“Ahhhhhhhhh! You're talking about that.” She said absently.

“Yes, where is it?” He asked once again, already getting impatient.

“Hm… where did I—” She stared blankly at the painting she had been dusting just now.

Kevin waited as patiently as he could, but after a minute he couldn't help himself but ask again, “It is important to me, so please tell me where you placed it.”

That was as polite as he could be in this situation.

“Oh, right!” She exclaimed, “I gave it to the cook's assistant and she said she would take care of it.”

“I see, thanks.” _For almost nothing._

She gave him a lazy smile and waved as he walked away. He'd make a mental note not to give these kinds of tasks to this woman in specific again.

Finding the cook's assistant wasn’t that hard, she never left the kitchen. Well, not on duty hours and they'd have dinner soon. The sun hadn't set already, but they had their meals early in the estate.

“What's it, boy?” She asked him in the middle of stirring some kind of soup. Or whatever it was.

“One of the maids gave you something to keep earlier,” He started, and when she looked confused he added, “It was a flower crown.”

“Oh, that.”

“Where is it?”

“I put it over that window so it could catch some fresh air. The kitchen is hot and the flowers would end up withering too fast. Good Lord what an airhead… that girl…. Giving me something like that to keep…”

As she muttered with herself, Kevin looked around to find where his flower crown was. He inspected the whole area near the window but couldn't find it anywhere.

“You're sure you put it by this window?” He asked to the assistant.

“It should be there!” She yelled back.

He was already regretting parting with his gift.

He sighed and was about to give up when he realized something. If she put the crown by the window, it could've fallen over to the other side. And as it seemed, it really had fallen over. A peek out the window was all it took for him to spot his flower crown resting on some bushes.

“Found it!” he muttered to himself and walked out of the kitchen quickly, saying thanks to the assistant before leaving.

He walked through the storage room to get out and around the house, and from afar he could see where the flower crown was. It was bright colored among all the dark green leaves.

He ran fast to the spot, eager to recover his gift when he realized that somehow, it was also moving. He came to a stop just a few steps away from it, but it kept moving away from its standing place.

_Are flowers supposed to move on their own…?_

One moment of hesitancy was all it took for the flowers to take a wild dash towards the woods around the estate.

“Wha—”

He ran after it as fast as he could, and spotted something furry under the flower crown. It was possibly an animal. He hadn't seen any wild animal get near the house but it was true that the guard dogs they had weren't patrolling yet. Gilbert ordered them to be taken inside so they wouldn't bother neither Kevin nor Sharon. That could be the reason for an animal to get close to the mansion, but at the same time he couldn't help but think that it was a really unfortunate timing.

He ran as fast as he could after the animal that fled with his flower crown, but couldn't catch it. He ended losing sight of it a bit after he entered the woods.

Kevin stopped to catch his breath and looked around, trying to hear any sounds that would give away the position of the wild animal. He couldn't hear anything but the occasional chirp of the birds that flew back to their nests to spend the night.

He was disappointed and sad. The gift wasn't that impressive but he thought it was nice. He really wanted to keep it.

The sound of twigs cracking had him turning around fast.

“Oh, wow… what do we have here?” A smooth feminine voice sounded not so far from him.

Before he could discern who the person was, he was blinded by a bright and warm light.

_A lamp…?_

“Ah, not the one I was looking for.” She clicked her tongue and lowered the lamp. “Say, boy, isn't it a bit late to be out here?”

He could see her better now, and didn't remember seeing a woman like her in the estate. If she wasn't a servant then…

“Who are you?” He asked.

She giggled, “Smart, aren't you? Don't concern yourself with little old me, young man.”

“I don't see why I shouldn't be concerned about the presence of a stranger.” He narrowed his eyes.

She just smiled at him, “You're just as strange to me, if it helps.”

“It doesn't.”

She sighed and shook her head, “Fine then, I was just searching for my kid and thought you were him… hm…” She stopped to think, “But I found this dropped around here,” She revealed an object that she had been concealing at her back, “It's very pretty. Is it yours?”

It was nothing other than his flower crown.

“It is, could you give it back to me?” He replied quite excited but at the same time wary of her. He didn't quite like strangers.

“Oh, how lucky you are that I found it.” She chuckled and walked towards him.

He did his best not to take a step back, until she was just one step away from him and he could look her better in the eyes. They were either amber, or the reflection of the fire gave him that impression.

“Open your hands now,” She asked him and when he did so, she dropped the flower crown in his hands, “There we go!”

Having it in his hands again made him feel strangely relieved. It was just a flower crown, but maybe he felt it was important for who gave it to him.

“Thank you, miss.” He said with a small smile.

“You're welcome!” She smiled back at him, “You look like a good kid so before I go, I'll give you a quick advice.”

He nodded.

“If you see my kid around here…” She started, “Don't make eye contact.”

The last part came out almost in a hushed whisper, as if she was trying to keep a secret.

“… What?”

“Oh, and just so you don't get lost, head straight this way and you'll find a path leading out of the woods. It'll take you to the landlord's estate.” She explained as she pointed out in the direction of a bunch of trees.

“Uhm… okay?”

“Bye! Bye!” She giggled and waved as she walked away.

Kevin stayed still in his place, watching the strange woman walk away with her lamp. What a weird person.

As she said, however, he found the path leading outside the woods easily and then headed to the estate just in time for dinner. This time he made sure to leave the flower crown in his room before heading out for the meal.

That night he asked Gilbert whether or not there were other people living around the estate, to which the man didn't give a straight reply. Kevin assumed that there were other people living in his lands.

He wouldn't think about it too much. For now he was more concerned about finding a way to preserve his gift, since flowers wither away and die easily.

He reached an answer right before bed time, and headed straight away to the library. There he found the book he had read to Sharon that day, still over the table, and brought it with him to his room.  
Kevin plucked out a single flower from the crown and put it between the pages of the book, closing it carefully.

He wouldn't be able to preserve the whole gift, but maybe this way, a part of this happy memory would stay with him.  
Satisfied with what he had, Kevin went to bed. That night he dreamt about a peaceful flowers field.


	10. Elliot

Today, as usual, Sharon and her little brother are playing outside together. Or, well, they were.

Raphael found something near the mansion, a dog, or so he claimed. Sharon wasn't willing to believe in that. Why would a dog be lost in their property, of all places?

Normally, Sharon would shrug it off and go with whatever idea Raphael had come up with, but this time she couldn't simply do that. The boy really was excited about finding and keeping the dog for himself. She tried to reason that, if he asked their parents, he'd get a purebred puppy in no time. It would've been better than keeping a random stray dog.

Raphael didn't budge at all, no matter how much she tried to convince him, and ultimately decided to go after the stray dog for himself. Now Sharon is left having to search for him all over the place.

She's halfway through the front garden when she hears the familiar voice of her younger brother.

“I found it! I told you! I found it!” He yelled as he ran to her.

Sharon stopped on her tracks and stared at the boy. His clothes were extremely dirty and his hair was a mess of twigs and leaves. He must've gone to the woods around the property, the same the servants kept telling them to avoid.  
Looking more carefully, she spotted something gray and fluffy in his hands.

“Just were have you been?! I was looking around the whole place for you!” She said, angrily crossing her arms.

“I told you there was a dog!” Raphael insisted. “It's a female and I'll name her Pearl!” He declared, proudly lifting the puppy so Sharon could see it better.

“So, you did not only get yourself into trouble,” She vaguely gestured at his messy state, “But you also somehow managed to find a dog along the way.”

“She's cute, look!” Raphael said and brought the puppy closer to Sharon.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, but had to admit that the puppy was cute. Wagging its fluffy tail and looking at her with big confused eyes, letting its tongue hang out of a mouth full of tiny sharp teeth—

“Wait—” Sharon realized that she had never seen a dog like this. Pearl was not like any mutt she had seen before, but she reminded her of another dog she had seen in Gilbert's estate…

“Raphael, you need to put it back where you found it.” She said alarmed.

“What? No! I can't, who's gonna take care of her?!”

“The nature, her parents, herself,” Sharon listed, “Raphael this is not a dog. You found a wolf puppy.”

Raphael stared at her with wide blue eyes.  
“It's a puppy.”

Sharon sighed exasperated, “No, Raphael, listen—”

“Pearl is a puppy without parents, I can't just put her back in the woods. She'll be cold and starve and—”

“Raphael.” She cut him, “You can't keep a wolf. She's a wild animal.”

Raphael stared at the puppy in his arms, then back at Sharon.

“She's a puppy.”

“She could be dangerous.”

“She's a puppy and that's all! I'll tell our parents and you can't say anything about it!” Raphael yelled then ran back to the house with the wolf puppy in his arms.

_Oh, God_.

  
Sharon knew something about Raphael that even he didn't know himself. A distant memory from another time revealed to her that this boy who was now her brother once was known as Elliot Nightray. The Nightray were technically rivals, or even enemies, of the dukedom that she was part of, the Rainsworth.

Still, Elliot was something else. While the rest of the Nightray would be surrounded by shadows, he would be surrounded by light. A light that he brought with himself everywhere. Elliot really was… someone admirable.

Somehow, this characteristic was carried along with his soul when he was reborn as Raphael, her little brother. Which could be a good thing, most of the time, but sometimes it was also a dangerous power to have.

With his big blue eyes, some innocence, naivety, and the energy and persistence that only kids have, Raphael could get pretty much anything he wanted. That's what worried her.

Thanks to his endless innocence, she had to always act more responsible around him, despite being only a year older.

Raphael managed to convince their parents the puppy was harmless, and that he'd be responsible with it. He promised taking care of it, and many other things that the couple of adults ended up buying. How could they not let the boy have it? It was hard to dissuade Raphael from something once he put his mind to it.

“So you're letting him keep the wolf.” She said, arms crossed and foot restlessly tapping on the floor.

“Sharon, listen, it's a small animal. I'm sure it will be fine.”

She sighed. Raphael really did it this time.  
It wouldn't do anything to discuss it with the adults, they were completely sold to the persistent little boy. For now there was only one thing she could do: try to dissuade him from this idea herself. If that failed, then she'd have to make sure he'd be safe no matter what.

Raphael kept to his promise, bathing the puppy, feeding it, playing with it the whole time. Pearl was a harmless little thing. Sharon decided that she had a very friendly nature for a wolf. Maybe because she was just a small puppy, but she couldn't be sure of it.

That's why she came up with a plan to take the wolf away from Raphael.

Raphael had kept the puppy for around three days, and on the fourth Sharon finally had readied what she needed to execute the plan. She entered her brother's bedroom with a thick book in her hands, determined to make this work.

“Sharon, look! I'm teaching her to fetch!” He said, and then threw a ball made of his own socks onto the wall opposite to him, “Fetch!”

Pearl wagged her tail and gave Sharon a curious look.

“Ah, you ruined her focus now!”

“I'm sure she'll get the trick if you keep trying, though.” She offered with a kind smile.

“Right!” He gave her a bright smile. “What's that book for?”

Here we go.

“I want you to pay close attention to something I found.” She said walking towards him.

Raphael sat on the floor, waiting patiently for whatever she had to say while she sat in front of him and opened the book.

“Here,” She found the page she wanted and pointed at the pictures in it, “This is a dog.”

Sharon knew she had seen a book about animal species in the library before, and this came in handy. Raphael was a brat sometimes, but he had mild temperament and unless he put his mind to something, he was generally a good listener and an obedient kid.

“It's big.” He commented, staring at the image with wide eyes.

“It is. This dog is big but it's also very friendly and a good companion."

“Is that what the pages say?”

She nodded.

“Wow, how cool!”

“Now,” She started, flipping the pages till she found the one she wanted, “This one.”

Raphael stared at the animal drawn in the paper.

“That's another big dog!” He exclaimed with a delighted smile.

“No, this is not a dog.”

“But it looks like one.”

“It does, but it is a wolf.”

“What's the difference?”

“A dog is a tame animal, while a wolf isn't. It belongs in the wild with the other wolves.”

Raphael nodded and silently stared at the book.

“Is that what the pages say?” He finally asked.

“Yes. Pearl is a wolf, you need to put her back where you found her. She doesn't belong here.”

Raphael stared at her, “But she likes it here.”

Sharon sighed and closed the book, “What if one day she starts feeling sad because she wants to go back to her family?”

“Then…” he paused, “Then I let her choose to go, right?”

“Wouldn't it be better to let her go now?”

“But then I'll feel sad."

_Ah, Raphael…_

Sharon closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Sharon,” Raphael started again, “I don't wanna make her sad, but I also don't wanna be sad.” He reasoned, “What do I do?”

_I don't want you to be sad, but I also don't want you to be hurt…_

“I don't know—”

“Ah, right!” He declared suddenly, eyes sparkling thanks to an idea he just had, certainly, “I'll let her free to go, and if she wants to, she goes. But if she doesn't want, she can stay!”

Well, her plan worked, if only partially.

“That could work, but you have to promise me one thing.”

“Okay!”

“A-at least wait till I say what you have to promise!” She clicked her tongue.

Raphael looked at her seriously and nodded, “Okay!”

_Oh well._

“You must promise me you'll be careful with Pearl.”

He smiled, “Okay!”

“I mean you have to make sure you'll be fine with her, and that you won't let her hurt you. And also call for help if she seems to be acting hostile!”

“Okay!” He repeated once again.

Sharon didn't think he believed the wolf puppy could be hostile towards him, but Raphael would keep any promise he ever made so at least in that she could trust.

Pearl stayed with them for around one month, and as it seemed, the wolf wasn't willing to go back to nature on her own. She absolutely loved Raphael and would go with him wherever he went. Often they'd be playing around the property.

Sharon decided to keep a close eye on both the wolf and her brother, so wherever the duo would be, she'd be sitting near with a book open in her lap. That was the way she found to keep an eye on them and be near in case she needed to do something. Anything, really.

Her vigilance was proven to be unneeded, after all. Pearl was very calm for a wolf. At least the worst didn't come to happen.

One day they were sitting by a tree, near the same woods where Raphael had found the puppy.

“Look, Sharon!” Raphael called.

She looked up from her book to see her brother waving a stick in the air.

“I taught her to fetch, look!” He shook the stick where Pearl could see it, and after he got her attention, he threw it as far as he could.

It landed past the trees nearby.

“Fetch!” He yelled and the wolf promptly went after the stick.

Sharon smiled and shook her head.

_Taming a wolf by accident is so something only he could do…_

She turned back to her book and waited for the moment he'd call her to see how the wolf caught the stick as he ordered.

Seconds became minutes, which dragged on till they became an hour. That was when Sharon finally realized she hadn't heard Pearl coming back, nor any sound came from where Raphael stood waiting.

She looked over the book to see him quietly staring at the trees.

“Raphael?”

“The forest has a lot of sticks in it, right? She must be still searching for the right one!” He replied without taking his eyes off the direction where Pearl disappeared.

An hour became another, and then more hours passed. Raphael had given up standing and decided to lay on the grass to stare at the clouds as he waited for Pearl to come back.

“That one looks like a sheep!” He said pointing to a passing cloud., “A flower there. Another sheep…”

“It's getting late, Raphael.” She commented, getting up from her place and patting the leaves off her dress.

“Hm? Oh, they'll call for dinner soon. Okay!” He stood in a jump and patted his clothes too.

“Uhm… What about Pearl?” She asked.

“Don't worry, she'll come back when she finds the right stick.” He reassured his older sister and headed to the mansion.

Sharon followed him, slightly worried about what happened.

The wolf didn't come back that night, nor the next day or the next week. Months passed and Raphael insisted that Pearl was probably still playing in the woods.

Nobody but Sharon paid much mind to it. She was still looking for any signs that her little brother needed any comfort. He was quite attached to the wolf.

Raphael kept playing as always. With or without Sharon, near the woods or at the mansion's garden.

Three months had passed since Pearl’s disappearance. That day he had gotten a new leather ball as a gift from their father who had just returned from a business trip. He liked how it was light but he could still throw it very far.

He was playing near the woods again, throwing the ball against the usual three where Sharon would sit by whenever they'd come here. He liked to watch the ball hit the bark, bounce and then return to him so he could catch it.

He repeated the process until he got bored of it and then decided to go back to the mansion. He looked back at the woods, where Pearl had gone to fetch the stick he threw and never came back.

For one moment he let himself feel sad about it. He had promised both Sharon and Pearl that whenever the wolf wanted to go, he'd let her, so he decided to try his best not to feel sad about it. Sometimes, when he was alone like this, he'd still feel sad regardless of the promise.

He stood there, staring at the woods and wondering if he had done anything that Pearl didn't like, when he noticed something gray among the woods. He wasn't sure what it was, so he stayed in place and waited till the dot became bigger and took form in front of his eyes.

“A big dog…” He whispered to himself quite excited it could be Pearl, “No, no. A wolf.” He corrected himself.

The wolf was a lot like his friend, but too big to be merely a puppy. It walked towards Raphael, until it was only a few steps away from him.

“Wow, you're really big! So cool!”

The wolf tilted its head and wagged its tail a bit, then lowered its head and opened its mouth, letting something it was holding fall on the ground.

“Hey, is that the stick? So Pearl really found it?” He asked but the wolf barely paid him any mind, instead walking back to the woods.

He didn't mind it and walked excitedly to the stick, catching it from the ground and holding it tightly in his hands.

“Tell Pearl I said hi!” He yelled after the wolf. It seemed to have disappeared again.

Sharon was reading in the library when she heard Raphael run past the room, stopping by the door only to yell excitedly, “She found it!” and then run away again.

She paused her reading for a moment, half waiting to hear the wolf running right after her brother, but when it didn't happen she shook her head.

He was as hyperactive as ever.


	11. Adventure

Kevin was bored. More so than usual. He put his book down and sighed.

Since Sharon's visit he's been feeling like this, as if there's something lacking in his life. The books are as interesting as always, and he loves the peace, but he also needs some kind of action.

“Ah…” He sighed again.

“Bored?” Gilbert asked from the other side of the table.

“Yeah.”

Today for some reason they found themselves spending time together in the library. It's the first time Kevin sees Gilbert staying around for long. Usually he's always busy with something.

“Aren't you?” Kevin asked back.

“Hm? No, I'm enjoying a break. I rarely have those nowadays.” The man chuckled.

“Hm…”

“Why don't you go play outside then?”

“With who?”

“You got me.” Gilbert admitted. He hadn't thought about that.

Kevin shook his head, but then had an idea, “Don't you want to have a practice match with me again?”

Gilbert thought his smile, although childish, was kind of creepy.

“No, thanks. I don't want to have my ass handed to me in the only day of this week I can rest.”

Kevin huffed, “You're no fun.”

“How is being beaten by a child any fun…?”

“It's fun for me.” Kevin admitted with a light chuckle.

Gilbert clicked his tongue.

They went back to reading their books soon after, but after a few minutes Kevin was putting his book down again with a whine.

Gilbert sighed, “You know, maybe you should at least try exploring the woods around the property. I bet there are plenty of things to see out there.”

Kevin stared at him, “Do you want me to disappear…?”

“No! Of course not! Where did you get this idea?”

“I don't know the property and could easily get lost. I also have the impression you own quite a big chunk of land…”

“Are you afraid of going outside…?”

“No?”

There was something in his expression that told Gilbert it was a blatant lie.

“Okay, listen. I have an idea. You go outside and explore as much as you want, take your sword with you even if that'd make you feel safer. Then in the late afternoon, before it's dark, I'll send out a few servants and the dogs to find you and bring you back.”

Kevin stayed silent for a moment.

“How about it?” Gilbert offered.

“You're saying you'll send a hunting party after me.”

Gilbert almost choked on air.

“Wha—no! Sweet Lord, that's not—okay, okay, you know what? I'm telling you to go outside and at least try to get to know the lands around. If you get lost I'll personally go find you and bring you back safely, but you can also choose not to go very far. Stay within a sight range…? Somewhere where you can still spot the mansion, you know.”

Kevin considered the idea. It wasn't entirely bad and it wouldn't hurt trying.

“Do you promise not to leave me?”

“Yeah, you have my word. I promise to bring you back if you get lost.”

“You'll have to compensate me too. Getting lost in a forest is such a traumatizing experience…” Kevin commented.

Gilbert stared.

“I'll be so sad if you take too long to find me—”

The adult clicked his tongue, “Fine, what do you want? More candy?”

“I'll think about it.” Kevin smiled.

Gilbert watched as the boy put his book aside and left the library, certainly to prepare himself for his little ‘adventure’.

_This will be a long day…_

* * *

 

 

Kevin checked his items one last time before leaving the mansion, just to make sure he had everything he needed. His sword was in its sheath, hanging by his side thanks to the belt that held it. He appreciated these gifts the most.

The sword was something Gilbert had gotten him recently, one made specially for him. He heard the man had called one of the best swordsmiths in the country to craft it. He couldn't say if that rumor was true or not, but he could recognize that the weapon was a true masterpiece.

The blade was straight and thin, but very sharp and resistant. He also checked for himself and it was perfectly balanced. The handle was made of metal and leather straps threaded around it for a better grip. It didn't look so unique, in general, but the looks weren't what mattered. What was important is that this sword was perfect for him, easy to wield.

The belt and sheath that came with it were a bonus. With these, he could carry the sword wherever he went while keeping his hands free for whatever he needed to do. And if he needed to ever use the weapon, it was readily by his side.

Other than his sword—for defense purposes—he also brought with himself a sandwich that the cook's assistant had prepared for him, an apple, a small knife and a water bottle. These he kept in a small leather bag he brought with himself.

Not like he needed anything else, he was just going to walk around for a bit to cure his own boredom. Nothing special.

“Kevin?” He heard Gilbert's voice call for him and turned to look at the man.

“Oh, I was about to leave.”

“Yeah, the servants told me. You have everything you need?”

“Yup!”

Gilbert smiled and patted him, “Good, have fun but don't go too far. I don't want you to get lost or anything.”

Kevin was starting to get a bit annoyed about all the pats, but it was nice that he cared.

“Not like I need to go chasing you around on my rest day.” Gilbert commented.

Kevin huffed.

“Whatever you say, old man. I won't get lost.”

“Kids these days don't have respect for their elders…” Gilbert sighed.

“Jeez, fine. You stay and rest well. I won't go too far.” He reassured the adult and even gave him a small smile.

“Okay, I trust you will be responsible.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kevin waved his hand in the air, “See you later.”

Gilbert watched as Kevin walked away.

_There he goes_.

He was just a bit worried about the boy, but he was sure everything would be fine. Kevin had snacks and a means to defend himself. Now that he thought about it… he should be worried about whoever crossed paths with him.


End file.
